SHOOT MAGAZINE

October 24, 2003

Creative For A Cause

by Robert Goldrich

"Oblivious" to "Beautiful" - that's the progression from year one to two of the Kangaroo Project. Sponsored by the nonprofit Sean Francis Foundation, the Kangaroo Project is a competition designed to mentor promising creative and filmmaking talent via the production of worthwhile public service ad work.

In it's inaugural year of 2002, the Kangaroo Project yielded the creation of a motorcycle traffic safety PSA, "Oblivious Guy," for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. "Oblivious Guy" depicts just that - a man coming out of a convenience store who mindlessly bumps into people on the sidewalk. He throws his beverage bottle in the general direction of a trashcan only to have it hit a bystander. The preoccupied man then knocks a person-who's standing hear a motorcycle-to the ground. The oblivious guy hops on the bike and a supered message asks, "What if motorcyclists didn't see you?" The Minnesota Department of Public Safety then offers a supered retort, which simply advises motorists to "Start seeing motorcyclists."

The creative team of Mike Fetrow and Brian Tierney of Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, came up with the concept, which industry judges deemed the best in a strong field of Kangaroo Project entries. A separate set of judges then assessed prospective directors who submitted treatments reflecting their visions for the concept. The winning helmer was Marco Baca of Wilson Griak, Minneapolis.

"Oblivious Guy" went on to gain airtime in Minnesota and other states. Similarly, airtime is in the offing for this year's Kangaroo Project spot, "Beautiful People," which made its industry debut earlier this month, when it was screened at the Minneapolis Advertising Federation Awards show.

"Beautiful People" promotes organ donation, the cause adopted by the Kangaroo Project in '03. The spot was conceived by Brian Hurley, who recently landed a staff position at Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis. After his "Beautiful People" storyboard won out, the second phase of the competition began with directors vying for the assignment. An industry panel reviewed 20-plus submitted directorial treatments, ultimately selecting Josh Thacker, an editor at Fischer Edit, Minneapolis, to helm the job.

"Beautiful People" puts us at the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles where a slightly sadistic man is in charge of taking driver's license photos. He manages to capture people at their worst-during a bad hair moment, wearing a stoic expression, with their eyes closed or just looking plain stupid. We see a succession of these photos, which reinforce the seemingly universal negative feeling that people have about the pictures on their licenses. A voiceover sarcastically describes the snapshots as showing off "your sparkling eyes, your dazzling smile and an overall zest for life."

But the sarcasm gives way to a silver lining, as we see a driver's license with a "yes" next to the organ donor line, "Next time you're at the DMV, let your license bring out your best side," relates the voiceover. "Because when you're an organ donor, your license always looks great, regardless of the picture." An end tag then reads, "Donate Life. Be An Organ Donor."

While the causes they espouse are different, "Beautiful People" and "Oblivious Guy: have several common bonds. They were both produced on modest budgets by a group of dedicated industry professionals who donated their talent, time, services and resources. These established artisans also mentored apprentices during the making of the PSAs. But the strongest dynamic uniting the two spots is their altruistic motivation, as reflected in a simple tag used in a short film chronicling the making of "Beautiful People" to describe the Kangaroo Project: "Creative For A Cause."